Duress
by Mel0107
Summary: What happens when an unexpected guest shows up to Daniel's birthday celebration? Will things in the Hamptons change forever?


**No copyright infringement intended. I do not own Revenge.**

**Beta-ed by the awesome pynkrayne.**

It was an absolutely beautiful, crisp, clear, summer night in the Hamptons. A perfect night for Daniel's birthday clam bake on the beach. The tiki torches burning around the perimeter of the celebration helped perfect the mood to keep it casual. There were white Christmas lights wrapped around the tent posts, tables and overhead; adding a fairytale glow to the night. A long, rectangular table with a white table cloth and nine chairs set up around it was where everyone was currently seated; laughing and joking quietly. A white tent was set up a few feet away from the table, behind where Emily had been sitting, with the food beautifully laid out for everyone's enjoyment. Overall it was a very relaxed atmosphere and exactly how Daniel had wanted to spend his birthday. Daniel glanced around at his friends and family and couldn't help but smile. Charlotte looked happy chatting with their father and Declan. Jack and Amanda were in their own little world. _Thank God they seem so happy! Maybe now Jack will stay away from Emily._

"Where on Earth is Emily?" Victoria asked in with a curious, yet slightly irritated tone.

"I think she's just grabbing the cake," Ashley replied. Just then Emily came around the side of the pitched tent carrying Daniel's birthday cake.

"Oh! There she is," Victoria exclaimed, sounding happy. Everyone started singing Happy Birthday, no one realizing the hidden danger walking behind Emily with a gun pointed unwaveringly at her. "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you." They were all smiling at Daniel while singing their hearts out. Daniel looked down at the table seemingly embarrassed by the extra attention and then looked back up at the cake and then Emily. The smile he bestowed upon her radiated happiness until he saw that she looked nervous and not at all happy. And then he saw why.

Daniel's smile dropped instantly. _Tyler. The bastard is back...or never left._

"Come on! Big finish people!" Tyler shouted. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DANIEL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" He finished the song alone, but much louder than necessary. There were a few gasps around the table as everyone seemed to finally take stock of the whole situation. While still pointing the gun at Emily's head, Tyler told Emily to sit down. Emily had no choice but to comply. Concern showed on every face around the table, except for one.

Daniel's jaw ticked with the anger brewing just beneath the surface. _How dare Tyler come back to the Hamptons and threaten Emily like this. If Daniel was ever going to be capable of murder, now was the time. Empty threats were no longer a part of his vocabulary, not when Emily was being threatened. He would protect Emily, no matter what. _

"Make a wish." And with that Tyler blew out the candles on the cake. Everyone just continued to stare at Tyler in shock. No one knew exactly what to do at that point, other than sit and wait. Tyler's threat would be taken seriously; with a gun waving in his hand how could it not be?

"Emily Thorne...poor little rich girl next door. You've had a target on my head since the day we met. Now you can see how it feels." And with that statement Tyler's threat became even more of a reality for those gathered.

"Tyler, buddy, put the gun down." Daniel calmly suggested. Suddenly Tyler's aim switched over to Daniel. Charlotte flinched as Tyler suddenly aimed his gun at her brother. Daniel shifted and sat back in his seat, obviously not comfortable with having a gun in his face. _Shit! _was the first thing Daniel thought._ But at least he's not pointing the gun at Emily anymore. _

"SHUT UP DANNY! You made it clear that I'm not your buddy and now you're on the losing end of things for once in your life." Pure rage was all Daniel could see on Tyler's face. His eyes had a crazy gleam in them that Daniel had never seen before. His hair was mussed, no longer gelled perfectly in place. His suit looked slightly rumpled and if Daniel's eyes weren't deceiving him there was blood on Tyler's crisp white shirt. Daniel's eyes flicked over to Emily, doing a quick inventory. _Was the blood hers or someone else's? She didn't look injured, but it was hard to tell. Why hadn't he been paying closer attention? Had she been limping? And if it wasn't hers, then who else may have been hurt?_

"Tyler, I beg of you...don't hurt my children," came Victoria's surprisingly genuine plea. "Please think about what you're doing." She looked to be on the verge of tears. Tyler looked at her, but kept the gun pointed at Daniel.

"Oh believe me, I have. And this time, the Graysons aren't the ones calling the shots." He started to move around the table, moving to stand in between Ashley and Amanda. "Now, how 'bout a party game, huh?! Something we can all play. Let's call it, Truth...Or...Die," Tyler continued while switching the gun's aim to different people around the table. At this moment he only alternated between Conrad and Charlotte. "I ask the question and you tell the truth."

Amanda stared pointedly at Emily; the two silently communicating. Emily shook her head no, silently reassuring Amanda that she had a plan.

"If you don't, someone dies," Tyler continued on seemingly oblivious to the girls' silent exchange, keeping the gun steady on Charlotte and his gaze on Conrad. Although with the end of that statement the gun was trained on Emily once again.

"Tyler, be reasonable. You're not shooting anyone." Conrad stated with his usual calm facade in place.

"Okay Conny, you're up first!" With a quick glance down at Amanda, Tyler started to make his way around the table to Conrad. "Now let's take it all the way back to David Clarke in the summer of '93. You have 3 seconds to tell everyone the truth about what really happened to David Clarke. Clock's ticking Conrad."

"Tyler, please" Ashley begged looking directly at him for the first time. _Perhaps Emily wasn't far off in her earlier assessment, calling him Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Why is he doing this?!_

"DO IT!" Tyler shouted at Conrad, while moving his index finger back to the trigger. "Or I swear someone else is going to die because you were too weak to own up to your lies. Question is...who?" It was unnerving how calm Tyler suddenly seemed. It was as if the thought of taking another life was the same as using the bathroom, no big deal. He continued looking at Conrad, waiting for an answer. He could've just as easily been waiting to hear the latest baseball scores.

"Why don't you calm down son. This doesn't involve them." Conrad said in a low voice. Tyler had moved to Conrad's other side and was now standing between him and Emily.

"Wrong answer," came Tyler's short reply as he swung the gun around to point right at Emily's temple. He cocked the gun and Emily's breathing suddenly became very shallow. She looked genuinely scared for her life, but what else could she do at that moment without giving herself away. She knew the gun wasn't loaded but it wasn't like she could go kung fu ninja on his psychotic ass. She couldn't blow her cover, but she could play it up a little more. It's hard to resist a damsel in distress, after all. She continued breathing heavily and allowed tears to gather in her eyes. She glanced quickly towards Daniel expecting to see fear and maybe love. But the raw anger she saw directed at Tyler made her next gasp for air genuine.

"Tyler!" came an unexpected voice. A strange man, tall wearing khakis, a button up shirt and glasses, came around the side of the tent looking quite distraught at the situation unfolding in front of him. He was holding both hands up in a submissive way and looking at Tyler with a familiar concern. A bloody Nolan trailed along in his wake.

"Alex? What the hell are you doing here?" Tyler was visibly shaken at the sight of his brother. His fingers started to reflexively regrip the butt of the gun.

"I hadn't heard from you in awhile. I was worried. We all were." Alex glanced around quickly taking stock of the situation. _I need to get through to Ty before he kills the poor girl sitting there with a gun aimed at her. Why would you go off your meds Ty. You know what happens._

"Mom and Dad don't care about me. They cut me off. And you're just here so they can lock me up again." Tyler replied, but he seemed less sure of himself. His arm wavered just enough that Daniel noticed. Tyler's eyes also seem to flicker more to his brother, as if he wanted to turn and have a conversation with Alex.

Alex realized he was breaking through and stepped forward. "No. No, that was a mistake. Mom and Dad want to make it up to you."

While Tyler's attention was split between Emily and his brother, Daniel managed to catch Jack's eye. Jack tilted his head Tyler's way and Daniel gave a slight nod. He looked livid and Jack was willing to bet that between him and angry Hulk Daniel they could take Tyler down.

"Come on. Let's go talk about it. Just the two of us." Alex said.

Tyler thought for a second or two and started to lower the gun. As soon as his decision became obvious and the barrel was clear of Emily's shoulder, Daniel and Jack were out of their seats and on him. Jack tackled him hard enough that the gun flew out of his hand and hit the sand, while his weight pinned Tyler down.

Daniel landed next to them, holding Tyler's left arm down. "Get off of me! Let me go!" Tyler struggled against Jack's weight on him and Daniel's hold.

"You're not going anywhere," Daniel grunted out and then punched Tyler hard enough that he knocked him out. Daniel had to force himself up and away from Tyler and Jack. _All he could see was Tyler killing Emily and that made him want to continue beating Tyler until he was sure that he'd never be able to threaten anyone else ever again. But he forced himself back, knowing he needed to see, touch, and feel that Emily was once again safe. He wouldn't get that if he gave in to the violent side of his mind right now._

Daniel stood and moved over to Emily. He knelt down beside her chair, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. Her eyes looked watery, like she was holding back tears. She met his eyes and a tear escaped down her cheek. She quickly lifted her hand to brush it away. The fact that she was trying to be strong just made Daniel's hatred for Tyler grow stronger. "Are you okay? I know that's kind of a stupid question right now, but are you?" He gave a small self-deprecating smile and was relieved when he saw Emily's answering smile.

"I'm fine. What about you? How's your hand?" She leaned into the hand cupping her cheek and reached forward with her right hand, touching his face with the lightest caress. She pulled her hand back, like she was embarrassed by the tender moment. Daniel grabbed her hand as she pulled it away and held on. She moved her hand and interlocked their fingers and he gave her a more genuine grin.

"It's fine, probably thanks to the adrenaline." Daniel was surprised to look up and see police cars rushing towards them down the beach. Apparently Ashley had called the police as soon as Tyler was down. Daniel realized that a call to 9-1-1 probably should've been at the top of his priority list, but honestly whenever Emily was involved she was his only thought.

He glanced around and saw that Charlotte was safely standing with Declan's arms wrapped around her in a fiercely protective hug, but seemed to be fine. She was smiling up at him and that made Daniel happy to see. His little sister deserved to be happy. He looked back at Emily and when she smiled at him, he realized why she was his only thought. Conrad was standing next to Charlotte and Declan, with a hand on Charlotte's arm. The gesture was obviously one to reassure himself that she was safe, but his eyes never strayed from Tyler's prone form.

Victoria hadn't moved from her place at the table, other than to stand up. She couldn't seem to decide where she needed or wanted to go. _Daniel is solely focused on Emily Thorne and Charlotte has Declan and Conrad. Not to mention she has been less than interested in my company as of late. I'm not a bad mother, just protective. Why can't my children just understand that and listen to me?_

Alex made his way over to where Jack was standing guard over a slowly awakening Tyler, with Amanda. He knelt down in the sand next to his brother and just waited. _There's no getting him out of this one. He held 9 people hostage at gun point and would've killed at least one of them if I hadn't gotten here when I did. I'll have to let the police take him this time. I just wish I could've done something to help him before it got to this point. _

Nolan couldn't help but move towards Emily and Daniel. She was his best friend and he considered her family, even if she wanted to keep the icy exterior in place. But one look at their ridiculous adorableness had him continuing on and around the table toward Ashley. She seemed to need the comfort anyway.

Once the police arrived and took control of the situation everyone seemed to pair off, finding comfort from one another as the police methodically took individual statements and led Tyler to the waiting police car. Daniel stood with Ashley and a police officer explaining exactly what happened. Emily watched as they put him in the back, turning slightly when she sensed Nolan walk up beside her.

After a brief exchange, Daniel caught Emily's eye. He finished giving his statement and walked away from the officer he'd been talking to. He watched as she apologized to Ashley with a quick, but heartfelt, "I'm so sorry, Ash." and then continued to walk his way. As soon as she was in reach, Daniel pulled her up against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. _If he had any say in the matter he wouldn't be letting her go anytime soon. She was his and he wasn't going to let anyone take her away from him._

With an okay from the officers on the beach, Daniel and Emily said a quick goodnight to everyone and made their way up the beach to her house. He kept his arm around her, refusing to break contact. A part of him was afraid that if he let her go she would disappear or something else would happen to her that was equally awful or possibly worse. They made it up to the house and silently moved upstairs, neither saying a word. He started to worry that maybe Emily wasn't as okay as she'd said she was on the beach. He couldn't really blame her, but he also wanted her to know that he was there for her.

"Some birthday. If anything had happened to you or Charlotte tonight..." Daniel said getting into bed.

"It didn't. We're both okay." Emily looked up at Daniel and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"Yeah, but still." Daniel sighed. "I don't know what I did to deserve you Emily Thorne, but I can't imagine my life without you."

Emily gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Luckily you don't have to."

He moved forward and kissed her. He tried to convey through his kiss how much he loved her. He wanted her to know that he was there for her if and when she needed him. But he also needed her. Needed to reassure himself that she was there with him, very much alive. So they continued to kiss and when he made love to her that night he thought that just maybe she understood what he was trying to tell her and hoped she felt the same.


End file.
